Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
O Jerusalem	Ἰερουσαλὴμ Ierousalēm	G2419	Hierusalem (i.e. Jerushalem) · noun — vocative singular feminine, a place
Jerusalem	Ἰερουσαλὴμ Ierousalēm	G2419	Hierusalem (i.e. Jerushalem) · noun — vocative singular feminine, a place
that killest	ἀποκτείνουσα apokteinousa	G615	to kill outright · verb — present active participle, vocative singular feminine
the prophets	προφήτας prophētas	G4396	a foreteller ("prophet") · noun — accusative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
stonest	λιθοβολοῦσα lithobolousa	G3036	to throw stones · verb — present active participle, vocative singular feminine
them which are sent	ἀπεσταλμένους apestalmenous	G649	set apart · verb — perfect passive participle, accusative plural masculine
unto	πρὸς pros	G4314	a preposition of direction · preposition
thee	αὐτήν, autēn	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular feminine
how often	ποσάκις posakis	G4212	how many times · adverb
would I have	ἠθέλησα ēthelēsa	G2309	to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — aorist active indicative, 1st person singular
gathered	ἐπισυναγαγεῖν episunagagein	G1996	to collect upon the same place · verb — second aorist active infinitive
thy	σοῦ soû	G4675	of thee
children	τέκνα tekna	G5043	a child (as produced) · noun — accusative plural neuter
together	ἐπισυνάγει episunagei	G1996	to collect upon the same place · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
even	ὃν hon	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — accusative singular masculine
as	τρόπον tropon	G5158	a turn · noun — accusative singular masculine
a hen	ὄρνις ornis	G3733	a bird (as rising in the air) · noun — nominative singular feminine
gathereth	ἐπισυνάγω episynágō	G1996	to collect upon the same place
her	ἑαυτοῦ heautoû	G1438	him- (her-
chickens	νοσσία nossia	G3556	a birdling · noun — accusative plural neuter
under	ὑπὸ hupo	G5259	under · preposition
wings	πτέρυγας, pterugas	G4420	a wing · noun — accusative plural feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
ye would	ἠθελήσατε; ēthelēsate	G2309	to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Luke 13:34-35 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children t…
Psalms 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Ruth 2:12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Deuteronomy 32:11-12 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
Psalms 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Nehemiah 9:26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified ag…
Proverbs 1:24-31 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Jeremiah 6:16-17 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find re…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, &c.--How ineffably grand and melting is this apostrophe! It is the very heart of God pouring itself forth through human flesh and speech. It is this incarnation of the innermost life and love of Deity, pleading with men, bleeding for them, and ascending only to open His arms to them and win them back by the power of this story of matchless love, that has conquered the world, that will yet "draw all men unto Him," and beautify and ennoble Humanity itself! "Jerusalem" here does not mean the mere city or its inhabitants; nor is it to be viewed merely as the metropolis of the nation, but as the cen…

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John Gill on Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,.... The metropolis of Judea, the seat of the kings of Judah, yea, the city of the great king; the place of divine worship, once the holy and faithful city, the joy of the whole earth; wherefore it was strange that the following things should be said of it. The word is repeated to show our Lord's affection and concern for that city, as well as to upbraid it with its name, dignity, and privileges; and designs not the building of the city, but the inhabitants of it; and these not all, but the rulers and governors of it, civil and ecclesiastical; especially the great sanhedrim, which were held in it, to whom best belong the descriptive characters of killing the prophets,…

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John Calvin on Matthew 23:29–end

Matthew 23:29-39 Matthew 23:29-39 Luke 11:47-51 29. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the sepulchers of the prophets and embellish the monuments of the righteous, 30. And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their associates in the blood of the prophets. 31. Thus you testify against yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets. 32. Do you also fill up the measure of your fathers. 33. Serpents, offspring of vipers, how shall you escape the judgment of hell? 34. Therefore, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and some of them you will slay and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in…

The Church Fathers

By Jerusalem He means not the stones and buildings, but the dwellers there, over whom He laments with the feeling of a Father.
— Jerome ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(non occ.) Let heretics then cease to assign to Christ a beginning from the Virgin; let them leave off to preach one God of the Law and another of the Prophets.
— Rabanus Maurus ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

the Lord Christ, who in those days when he had come down from the Mount of Olives, and beheld Jerusalem and wept over it as it lay opposite, said: How often would I have gathered thy children even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wing, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
— Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Hen — Common in later times among the Jews in Palestine (Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34). It is noticeable that this familiar bird is only mentioned in these passages in connection with our Lord’s lamentation…
Scribes — Anciently held various important offices in the public affairs of the nation. The Hebrew word so rendered (sopher) is first used to designate the holder of some military office (Judg. 5:14; A.V.,…
Birds · Clean: Cock and Hen — Clean: Cock and Hen
Chickens · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Contingencies · IN DIVINE GOVERNMENT OF MAN — IN DIVINE GOVERNMENT OF MAN
Hen · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Impenitence · 2:4,5;3:1-11,19,26;12:2;20:8,13,21;33:4,5,9; — 2:4,5;3:1-11,19,26;12:2;20:8,13,21;33:4,5,9;
Jerusalem · Christ: Lamented over — Christ: Lamented over
Jews, The · Punished for: Killing the prophets — Punished for: Killing the prophets
Long-Suffering Of God, The · Exemplified: Jerusalem — Exemplified: Jerusalem
Opportunity · THE MEASURE OF RESPONSIBILITY — THE MEASURE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Prophets · Martyrs — Martyrs
Salvation · 4:2;

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 23:37

John Gill on Matthew 23:37

John Calvin on Matthew 23:29–end

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 23:37

John Gill on Matthew 23:37

John Calvin on Matthew 23:29–end

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 23:37